“House Bill 2793 under consideration by the House Environment Committee would prohibit, as of 2020, a manufacturer from selling firefighting foams containing these chemicals, as well as protective gear that contains the chemicals.
The bill includes an exception for certain facilities — such as military and civilian airports that risk aviation fires — where fire crews are required by federal law to have these foams on hand.
State lawmakers are considering the firefighting-foam bill amid heightened scrutiny of PFAS chemicals both nationally and in Washington state, where some have been found in drinking-water wells on Whidbey Island, Issaquah, Joint Base Lewis-McChord and Airway Heights near Fairchild Air Force Base…
The House Committee on Tuesday also took testimony on a separate measure that would possibly end the use of PFAS in food packaging.
House Bill 2658 would end, by 2021, the sale of food packaging containing these chemicals, if the state Department of Ecology comes up with a safer alternative.”
Read the full article by Hal Bernton.